Thai Airways bans some MacBook Pros on EU flights

Thai Airways yesterday issued a ban on a number of Apple laptops on all flights to and from Europe.

Citing safety concerns over their potentially hazardous lithium-ion batteries, MacBook Pros sold between September 2015 and February 2017 will not be allowed onto flights as carry-on or checked luggage due to EU regulators.

Passengers were also warned not to handle electronic devices that break during flights but rather inform the flight crew immediately.

The ban came three weeks after the European Aviation Safety Agency reminded airlines that all known defective batteries should be kept off flights ever since Samsung’s fiery Note 7 debacle two years ago.

Apple had recalled the MacBooks two months ago, saying batteries in a limited number of laptops “may overheat and pose a fire safety risk.” The company recommended those with the specified devices stop using them immediately.